Podcast: Self-Flying Satellite's Successful Space Mission

28 Dec, 2022

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched in May 2022 carried multiple missions, including Lincoln Laboratory’s Agile MicroSat. Photo courtesy of SpaceX

In this episode, we talk about a microsatellite from MIT that is testing autonomous flight while in Earth's orbit. This technology could help improve the agility and robustness of future satellite missions.

satellites

- space

- spacecraft

In this episode, we talk about a microsatellite from MIT that is testing autonomous flight while in Earth's orbit. This technology could help improve the agility and robustness of future satellite missions.

This podcast is sponsored by Duro.

EPISODE NOTES

(5:10) - Tiny satellite tests autonomy in space

This episode was brought to you by Duro, the PLM platform behind some of Farbod & Daniel’s favorite hardware products!

Click here to learn more about Duro and here to check out the article written by Duro’s co-founder, Kellan O'Connor, on his early experience at SpaceX and how that helped him crack the code to successful hardware engineering.

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The future of small satellite transfer orbits

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is currently working with UARX Space to develop a specialised spacecraft that will transport multiple satellites to different desired orbits after separation from the launch vehicle.

Jana Hoidis

fromDLR

20 Feb, 2023

satellites

- space

- spacecraft

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is currently working with UARX Space to develop a specialised spacecraft that will transport multiple satellites to different desired orbits after separation from the launch vehicle. DLR is providing a radio platform called Generic Software Defined Radio (GSDR), which is used to communicate with the ground station. GSDR is a multifunctional radio system that allows multiple applications to performed in different frequency bands. The hardware does not have to be adapted to the application-specific requirements, as is usually the case, but can be reconfigured via software and commands while in orbit.

Planned mission in 2024

In commercial spaceflight, one launch vehicle typically delivers several satellites into the same fixed target orbit to save costs. As a result, certain users must wait a long time for a launch vehicle that will fly to their target orbit or face the prohibitive cost of booking a rocket for their sole use. The Orbit Solutions to Simplify Injection and Exploration (OSSIE) orbit transfer vehicle from UARX Space is being developed with the aim of carrying satellites deployed in space to their desired target orbit, regardless of the initial deployment orbit of the launch vehicle. This places considerable demands on communication between the spacecraft and the ground segment, as the radio communication distance varies greatly throughout the mission.

The GSDR, developed by DLR, will be used as the communication subsystem, as this innovative radio platform is ideally suited to OSSIE's needs and can respond flexibly to the varying communication requirements. "After more than five years of development and extensive testing, our GSDR has now reached a technology readiness level (TRL) of 7. The next step is to demonstrate the system in orbit. We are delighted that our system will contribute to UARX's mission and help us ha

Image: SpinLaunch suborbital accelerator

Spinning Payloads Into Low Earth Orbit

SpinLaunch is a California based startup that wants to revolutionize the space industry with a novel, sustainable, and cost-efficient method of delivering payloads to low earth orbit.

23 Nov, 2021

This article was discussed in our Next Byte podcast.

The full article will continue below.

Current Launch Methodology

Rocket Propulsion History

The origins of rocket propulsion for space applications takes us back to the space race between the United States of America (USA) and the Soviet Union (USSR). It is 1955, the cold war is in full swing, and two superpowers are trying to display their dominance over the other on the worldwide stage by achieving milestones in the final frontier: space.

Sputnik - the world’s first satellite - became the world’s first object that was launched into space via a rocket in 1957. USSR scientists leveraged the R-7 rocket platform which was originally developed as a delivery method for warheads to accomplish this feat.

Image 1. The Sputnik satellite

Then the Soviet’s raised the stakes with the Vostok 1 mission by making Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin the first human to be in orbit in April of 1961. In contrast to the sputnik mission, Vostok 1 was powered by a Vostok-K rocket platform designed specifically for spaceflight.

Naturally, the United States needed a monumental response to demonstrate superiority and in May of 1961, John F. Kennedy did just that by setting a goal to put a man on the moon before the decade was over which might’ve been one of the most ambitious goals ever set given that the first U.S. astronaut to reach orbit had been accomplished just three weeks before the speech. Regardless, this was the genesis of the Apollo mission(s).

And that brings us to the infamous Saturn V rocket which launched the Apollo 11 crew to the moon on July 16th of 1969. The Saturn V was designed under the direction of ex-Nazi scientist Warner von Braun and it was capable of delivering payloads up to 90,000 pounds to

Podcast: Self-Flying Satellite's Successful Space Mission

In this episode, we talk about a microsatellite from MIT that is testing autonomous flight while in Earth's orbit. This technology could help improve the agility and robustness of future satellite missions.

EPISODE NOTES

Planned mission in 2024

Current Launch Methodology

Rocket Propulsion History

Plasma thrusters used on satellites could be much more powerful

Smartphone technology provides satellites with increased computing power

Students Launch Stratosphere Satellite to Analyze Bone Tissue Formation in Low Gravity

In this episode, we talk about a microsatellite from MIT that is testing autonomous flight while in Earth's orbit. This technology could help improve the agility and robustness of future satellite missions.

EPISODE NOTES

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